(CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana) As the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) shapes up for the 2005 implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) the future looks promising for entrepreneurs, but a continued unified front among Member States remains important to the CARICOM integration process.

These sentiments were underscored by H. E. Mr. Edwin W. Carrington, Secretary General of CARICOM during his recent address to members of the Guyanese business community of the county of Berbice, on the occasion of a luncheon to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Development Association (BCCDA).

Congratulating the Berbice business community for the longevity of the organisation, Mr. Carrington said it represents foresight, vision and hard work of the pioneering business leaders of the county, and the resilience of succeeding generations of entrepreneurs of Berbice.

Noting that the time is opportune for conducting business in the Caribbean Community, the CARICOM Secretary General said he is encouraged by the progress of, and prospects for the Regional integration movement.

"We are on the cusp of a new era in the economic life of our CARICOM Region. As an organisation representing businesses that span the gamut of commercial activities - financial services, retail trade, manufacturing, saw milling, furniture production, tourism and hospitality, catering, mining, professional services, telecommunications, among other areas - the BCCDA is well placed to play a major role in the economic revolution," Mr. Carrington told his audience.

Referring to CSME as the economic revolution, the CARICOM Secretary General outlined its major features, including the movement of skilled labour and goods, but he singled out role of the private sector as the engine of growth for the CSME process.